A blog by Dave Hamlin

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Monthly Archives: August 2014

Until I nabbed the crook, for years I had been the victim of his thievery.

One day, I’d have my pockets picked; another day I’d have my pockets stolen, right along with my shirt and trousers.

Sometimes I’d find that my dresser drawers had been emptied. Other times I’d find that whole rooms had been emptied—furniture, rugs, drapes—everything gone.

For years nothing was safe, even if the doors were locked and everything was nailed down. And I couldn’t catch the perpetrator because I never saw him. This thief operated invisibly and quickly. In the blink of an eye, this burglar could rob me blind, leaving me stripped and empty handed.

Even when I managed to retrieve some of my stolen goods, it was just a matter of time before they’d be pinched again.

But eventually I caught on.

This thief could only steal me blind by making me blind. Only by directing my attention to someone else’s possessions was this crook free to steal mine.

To catch this thief, I had to catch myself—because the name of this thief is Comparison.

The enemy loves it when we invite the thief of Comparison into our lives. When we can’t see the good things that have been given to us, not only do we live poor ourselves, but we fail to enrich others.

The One who became poor so that we might become rich desires that we spread the wealth around. It is out of fullness that our hearts overflow, and out of gratefulness that we practice generosity.

If we let Comparison steal our gifts, whether spiritual or material, we will have nothing left to give away. So, whenever you catch Comparison red-handed, just show that thief the door.